Return to Rail

Reflects on the content and arguments of the series as a whole, emphasizing that high-speed rail drives urban and suburban development, provides major economic stimulus, and involves changes in life-style and culture. Discusses American freight rail as the international gold standard of efficiency and productivity and light rail as a priority, even in “second-tier” American cities. Considers figures on increased passenger rail ridership and their implications for high-speed rail systems serving appropriate markets. Projects that, by circa 2040, the nation will have a high speed network to serve the vast production hubs of the Texas triangle, the Great Lakes megapolis, and California.

Opens by asking, what interest groups are most opposed to high-speed rail and wondering why the railroad industry has not done more to advertise and promote the concept. The answer to the first question is almost certainly rural constituencies and perhaps also the oil industry, which constitutes a powerful and vocal political lobby. When the issue is approached using systems analysis, the result is that relatively few “focal political actors” (such as the President and Congress) advocate in a decisive way on behalf of high-speed rail, making its development difficult. Even if such “actors” took the lead, an array of interest groups, as well as various agencies, would line up to oppose it.

The paradox of high-speed rail is that it is endorsed in principle both by the public and by the American political culture, but the practical task of investing in and budgeting for its development with tax dollars is not widely supported. Identifies one major problem in appropriating funds for high-speed rail as the bewildering array of governmental authorities required to support such an initiative. More serious is the issue of cost/benefit analysis, since successful high-speed rail systems in such places as Europe, Japan, and Taiwan have higher population densities than the United States, leaving the up-front cost of establishing the system out of balance with expectations.

Takes up the problem of rail redevelopment as it is impeded and confined by the need to pass through multiple jurisdictions. Because federal and even state authority is broadly delegated, almost all localities have multiple centers of authority and a thicket of complicated, sometimes contradictory regulations, restrictions, and requirements. Intergovernmental cooperation is the exception rather than the rule. Discusses by way of example the more than ninety municipalities that make up metropolitan St. Louis, each with its own agencies, commissions, and other sites of authority.

Explores the potential of various alternatives to zoning that have evolved to modify the rights of land owners for the sake of public purposes, such as rail development. These include easements, real covenants, and “servitudes,” all bearing on land use, but in different ways. Historically, such legal instruments have evolved in sync with the growth of cities, making possible differentiated functions in particular urban areas.

Starting from the assumption that the U.S. is not prepared for an immediate transition to dedicated track systems for true high-speed rail, examines the interim use of shared rail corridors, addressing the problem of configuring tracks for both rapid, light-axle passenger service and slower, heavy-axle freight hauling on the same roadbeds. Present train equipment requires “incremental” modifications of track, including straightening curves, reducing grades, and laying new ties, in some cases made of concrete. Examines other advances involved in mixed use of corridors, including more sophisticated signaling systems and more crash-safe rail cars. Focuses on ways to minimize the risk that share

Explores the relationship between intercity rail and forms of light-rail able to supply service within cities, organizing urban space into navigable corridors that reach particular districts and neighborhoods. Argues for the advantages of retrofitting American cites with light rail as we move towards a more energy-efficient and less congested urban culture that is not so dependent on automobiles. Stresses the economic and social value of new light rail infrastructure in promoting “transit-oriented development,” a phenomenon driving growth and change in areas of Portland, Dallas, Atlanta, Denver, and other urban centers. Details the benefits of such “smart growth” for local economies, the env

Examines the rail industry from a legal standpoint, surveying history and current use of legal tools such as zoning that may be employed either to assist in the expansion of rail networks or to curtail and constrain them. Noting that zoning property for specific purposes is a relatively new phenomenon, discusses its roots in earlier regulatory devices. Also examines the related issue of “takings” through the power of eminent domain, which allows governmental bodies under certain circumstances and with due compensation to take private property for public use. Considers the use of this right to secure new corridors for rail development.

Explores the impact of steam-powered locomotives and major advances in rail technology in transforming the nation in the nineteenth century. Once the power of the railroads prompted government intervention, regulation proved damaging to the industry. Railroads were particularly disadvantaged during the period after World War II, when they faced subsidized competition from highway and air transportation. Argues that the current era, starting with the founding of Amtrak in 1971 and the passage of deregulation legislation in1980, is one of renewed promise for rail transportation. In the new, more competitive environment, American freight and passenger rail have both prospered, pointing to the

In exploring the promise of high-speed rail in the U.S., particularly in the Midwest, looks to the experience of the Taiwanese. Despite differences in political and demographic circumstances, sees helpful analogies, particularly in a comparison of the corridor between St. Louis and Chicago and that between the two principal cities of Taiwan. The similarity of most importance in making rail competitive with highway and air transportation is that the corridors are both 250-350 miles long, a distance known to transportation specialists as he “sweet spot.” To fund electrification and the building of new rail infrastructure, argues in favor of public/private partnerships, sees as the most immediate advantage the relief of highway congestion.

Looks at rail transport through the lens of energy physics, starting with the fact that the amount of energy available to the planet is finite and thus subject to diminution. Considers the implications of the recent passing of peak production in fossil fuels, discussing the changing ratio of energy input to energy output as coal and oil become less plentiful and the extraction methods required to procure these resources become more costly and less efficient. Arguing for the advantages solar energy because it is more readily converted to electricity, analyzes the superior efficiencies of electrified rail in comparison to other major transportation systems. Rail holds out the promise to move goods and passengers to their destinations far more economically than cars, trucks, or planes.

From detailed data, lays out the case for the high economic efficiency of rail transport, particularly freight rail transport, pointing out that such efficiencies will be increasingly important in an era of stressed resources, global competition, and increased demand for goods and services. Analyzes rail efficiency in terms of its sparing use of energy, its economies of scale, and its environmentally friendly profile by comparison to highway or air transportation. Also discusses recent advances in rail engines, roadbed technology, and traffic control systems.

Begins with an historical overview of American railroads in the 19th century, examining in detail the place of rail in the national economy. Gives particular attention to the relationship between railroads and the federal government in the decades after the formation of Amtrak in 1971. Examines increasing ridership on Amtrak over the last decade, arguing for the potential viability of public-private partnerships to develop high-speed—or at least “higher” speed—passenger rail. Also considers the potential effect of shifts in federal subsidies, which currently favor less efficient air and highway travel. Concludes with a discussion of current planning for high-speed rail, beginning with upgrades to existing track, station houses, and control systems leading eventually to more ambitious jumps to dedicated, fully electrified rail in high-volume corridors.

Examines the future importance of redeveloping the American rail network, both freight and passenger. While American freight transport is now unchallenged as the most efficient and cost effective in the world, the USA lags behind the rest of the advanced industrialized world in the development of a modern passenger rail network which takes advantage electrically powered trains that achieve speeds of over 150mph. The program makes a case for the economic viability and importance of new rail technology in the transportation mix of the 21st century. The argument hinges upon the capacity of such advanced technology to fit into an inter-modal structure in which high-speed trains connect large metropolitan areas that are between 250 and 350 miles apart. The program takes as its primary example a Great Lakes megapolis, which is expected to develop in the Midwest over the next four decades.